9. Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman (1940)
Before Bridget Jones Diary and somewhere in between the repugnant melodramatic writings of Jane Austen, Kitty Foyle appeared on the silver screen or as the ominous voice in the trailer says a book chosen by RKO as the perfect vehicle for its star Ginger Rogers. This is one of these films where you exasperate and sigh: where do I start? The characters name is Kitty, she lives in a bachelorette hotel where women are waiting for a man to fulfill their drearisome lives. Of course the template of the story is a true and tried cliché: working class protagonist and blue blood socialite suffer greatly due to societal norms. Why is it so strange? That same year a well-known director of the time called Hitchcock, of course Selznick as the producer had extensive say regarding the film
, actually won the "Best Picture" Oscar for Rebecca. So, basically the same story with a few different elements yet a vastly superior film with hints of Wuthering Heights. The modern equivalent would be to nominate Playing for Keeps along with Silver Linings Playbook.